NEW YORK – Novak Jjokovic knows he’s hoping for another final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday at the US Open.
And even he is the man with the most major title in history, and who has spent 428 weeks on the rankings believes they are the two best players in the world. He openly speaks about how important the duo is to the sport and its future.
But nonetheless, the 38-year-old Djokovic is still not ready to pass the baton.
“Everyone is hoping and predicting a two-man final,” Djokovic said Tuesday following his quarter-final victory over Taylor Fritz. “I’m going to try and ruin most people’s plans.”
Djokovic will have the chance to play that Friday in the semi-final match for the 22-year-old Alkaraz, the second seeded. The winner will face either the top-ranked sinner playing Friday in the Sunday final or the number 25 Felix Auger Aliasim. Alcaraz and the Sinner are pairing up to win the final seven major titles, playing against each other in the last two slam finals at the Wimbledon and the French Open.
Friday marks Djokovic and Alkaraz’s ninth career meeting, with Djokovic holding the edge of 5-3 and recording his last two wins. But even in that history, Alcaraz is still preferred to win matches.
For both players, there are plenty in the line. Djokovic wants to keep his dream of winning his 25th major slam title.
There’s everything you need to know ahead of Friday’s semi-finals.
Can Djokovic do that?
Djokovic has a few things for him. First of all, he has never lost to Alkaraz on the hard court. Their final meeting was the quarterfinals of the year held at the Australian Open, and to start the year, Djokovic Force made a comeback behind a strong ground stroke, strong defense and vintage movement that seemed to improve after maintaining a leg injury early and dropping the opening set.
Alkaraz later admitted that Djokovic’s injury caused him to lose focus slightly, and Djokovic believed in his vast career experience to help him overcome obstacles and distractions.
During the US Open, Djokovic was pushed to four sets in three of his five games, including a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Fritz on Tuesday. He was terrified of injuries of varying degrees of severity throughout the tournament and season, and was grateful to spend the extra day before the semi-final showdown. He probably needs it. Throughout the semi-finals, Djokovic spent almost three hours on the court over his younger counterpart.
“I take one day at a time and really take care of my body and try to relax and recover,” Djokovic said early Wednesday morning. “The next few days are really important because I’m really ready to shape my body and fight five sets if necessary.
“I really love it and want to fit well enough to play, and I hope to play with Carlos potentially five sets. I know I’ll need my best tennis, but I’ll stand up for that opportunity.”
He admitted at a post-quarterfinal press conference that he didn’t feel “very fresh at this point,” but was full of hope. He also felt confident in his ability to “smash” as he did against Fritz, and found extra gear at the most important moments. “You have to play with your heart and fight,” he said. “That’s what ultimately gave me a victory.”
Although not in his main form, Djokovic has shown through his run in New York to be a terrifying enemy for his father’s time. He moves around the courtroom easily and is supported through his strong service. He won 92% of his service games and had 57 aces. Needless to say, he scored an impressive 33% of the return game.
“I think he always serves well, like his first serve,” Fritz said Tuesday night. “He hits his spots a lot. He gets a fair amount of free points and ace… I think what made it difficult in the past is how much variance there is in his second serve.”
Djokovic’s third round opponent, Cameron Norry, had played six times before, but was equally enthusiastic in his admiration.
“He served incredibly well. It was probably the best he served me,” Norri said. “I was really impressed with that.”
OK, but Alcaraz is still his favorite to win the match, right?
yes. No one was more dominant than Alkaraz throughout the two weeks. Arrived in New York, who had just won the title in Cincinnati, he was the only man to reach the quarterfinals without dropping a set, and he faced one tiebreak in five games. He was virtually unstoppable, even against high-quality enemies.
Jiri Lehecca, the number 20 seed of the tournament where Alcaraz was defeated in the quarterfinals within two hours, said Alcaraz, or “Carlos’ Grand Slam version,” made everything better when it mattered most.
“If you want to beat him, you need to win at least some big points and he won all of them,” Lehecca said Tuesday. “Even when I had a really good rally, even when I tried to hold him under pressure, I went to the net, changed the rhythm, did something, he was there, and he had the answer to everything I tried.”
And if that wasn’t enough, Alcaraz scored an astounding 99% (all but one) of his service games in New York. He told reporters that his serve was his main focus for improvement over the past year and praised it and his consistency due to his recent results.
“Tennis, it’s really hard. One day you can serve really, really, really well, so you can feel really bad if your next match is completely different,” he said after defeating Rehecca. “So I’m trying to focus on serves. I’m trying to make everything the same and get a good feeling.”
Alkaraz said he knew Djokovic was “hungry” and was “ambition for more” when presiding on their (potential) conflicts, but he said he had his own motives, revenge. “Clearly,” he said Tuesday.
So who will win this match?
What’s certain is that both players will bring a top level and an unwavering desire to reach the finals on Sunday.
Djokovic defeated Alkaraz on this surface in this season’s Grand Slam, so he knows exactly what he needs to do to get it done again. Most importantly, he believes he can do that. He is also keenly aware of the tick-through clock of his career, and that he only has a limited chance of remaining to achieve his 25 dreams.
However, whether it motivates or weakens in high pressure situations is not yet seen after the exits of a series of semi-finals. Djokovic also knows that the longer the match, the more he prefers the younger and fresher Alkaraz, so he needs to come out stronger from the first point.
Alkaraz doesn’t have the same weight on his shoulders. But what he has is a game of confidence and clicking on all cylinders. He doesn’t face much adversity throughout his run, but if he can handle those moments, if they happen, and if they remain trapped, this certainly feels like his match to win.
Prediction: 4 sets of Alcaraz.
